When we found out we were expecting our third a few years ago, I proposed the creation of the Julian Simon Club. My motivation:

One wouldn't think that an economist's research program would move the emotions, but I've found that the research of Julian Simon helps me love and appreciate my kids in ways I wouldn't have thought possible. Simon's essential thesis is that the human mind is The Ultimate Resource: more brains mean more ideas, bigger markets, and less suffering. To put it bluntly, Simon showed (convincingly) that we aren't running out of natural resources and that if anything we need more people, not fewer.

I agree: people like you and Bryan (i.e. people with high intelligence, discipline, and capacity for abstract thought, able to earn advanced degrees in complex subjects and write creatively about them) should have more kids.

Even more, I agree that you should keep encouraging other people like you to have more kids as well. I sincerely hope it works.

This is a tough one for me. My wife and I have four kids, and I love them all dearly. Still, I would be lying if I said the transition from three to four wasn't a big one, especially since it coincided with moving to an area of the country where housing is expensive (and therefore crowded). Although I would never voluntarily part with any of my children, there have definitely been times when I thought wistfully about the days when there was one fewer family member.

On the plus side, I know that the cost of children is highly front-loaded, and a lot of the benefits come further down the road. My youngest is only four years old, so there's plenty of time for him to enhance our lifetime utility at the margin.

At a bare minimum, I can say this: I'm living in the Pigou Club even if I'm not a member.

I hope number of kids isn't the qualifier. I'd prefer it to be whether or not I agree with the premise of the club. But if membership does depend on the size of my progeny pool, I have 4 kids. Exactly one more than I wanted when I got married.

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